Michael Carrick was full of fire at his latest Middlesbrough press conference
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick displayed a bullish attitude during a press conference that lasted just under 30 minutes, despite the pressure he is currently under.
Mr Calm, who is usually so unflappable, underwent a change on Wednesday at Rockliffe as he prepared to preview the important match against Bristol City on Friday. It was appreciated. The Boro boss burned with passion as he talked about transforming the club’s fortunes and propelling them back into play-off contention. The words were encouraging.
The term perspective was the word of the day. When questioned about the necessity of change, he employed it at least eight times to emphasize his arguments. This comes after a sequence of only three victories in 15 matches and four straight losses. Prior to Steve Gibson and the club’s leadership offering him their unequivocal support, there had been a week in which doubts about the Boro boss were voiced. They have “no plans for change.”
“Having perspective on things is important, especially for me,” Carrick insisted. “Grasping what is required and what will assist us regarding overthinking, overanalyzing, and overplaying the situation. Occasionally, that is of no assistance.
“ We still have an incredible opportunity ahead of us, and we must seize the moment we’re in, endure any challenges, and move forward. We need to utilize that as the driving force, genuinely, as we move ahead. We possess excellent players and, in my opinion, a very good squad too.
“Once more, I’ve been sitting here over the past week or two and have expressed myself, and my feelings haven’t changed.” I have tremendous faith in the boys, and I believe that if we do it correctly—or when we do it correctly—we’ll be okay.
It was worth emphasizing the perspective. The reality is that Carrick’s future is uncertain as Boro sit 11th in the Championship, despite significant investment in what appears to be a talented squad. He acknowledged that the aim for the beginning of the season was to finish in the top two and, as opponents Sunderland have demonstrated, there was no justification for believing that Boro could not have contended for a spot in the top four in a weaker Championship field. They are not, they will not be, and for the time being, it is pointless to lament what cannot be changed.
Boro are instead contending for a top-six position and, despite their form, are just four points away from the play-offs and have a game in hand, which will take place on Tuesday night against Stoke City. With victories at Bristol City and Stoke City, the outlook for Boro heading into the last 12 matches changes dramatically.
“It’s perspective again of where we are in this situation,” the Boro manager remarked. “We wanted to be further up in the league. We wanted to be challenging for something a little closer to the top. But if we’re talking about play-offs, there are four spaces available, and we’re in touch.
“Fourteen games is a lot of football. Talking about whatever – relegation battles, title clashes, promotion run-ins, and championships – usually begins after now. That is where we feel we are. We’re four points from the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs. We like our chances. Simple as that.”
Carrick was consistently belligerent and furious. Self-confidence was evident in an interesting piece about Steve Gibson’s support. His angry response, in which he described it as ‘pathetic’ that someone in his position would require or crave such reassurance, was admirable.
However, the current tone on Teesside is one of seeking optimism rather than having it. He may keep his belief – as he must as head coach – but little that Boro has served up recently provides any cause for us on the outside to be optimistic that results will follow. In that sense, something must alter.
Carrick stated, “There is a natural desire and drive to do better. The boys are really committed to it. I can see and feel it, which gives me a positive sense about moving forward. It may be quite different. We could have a different feeling around here, but there’s a lot of motivation.
“How do we do this? I’ve said it before: We have good players. We have good players in a solid roster, and we have won a lot of games in the past, and we will win a lot more. It’s all about performance and getting the most out of ourselves, whether it’s me, the coaches, or the players, and the greater picture will take care of itself eventually. “We know what we can do.”
There were also some interesting suggestions about how he would handle things. The Boro manager stated that ‘they would focus on what they’re excellent at,’ implying that the recent desire to focus more on defensive balance could be dropped. Boro’s strength lies in their offense, even if it frequently leaves them wide open in transition.
He stated, “Most of the time it’s easy things, but we can complicate the game. We can make it more difficult by looking for deeper explanations for the results. It’s about working hard, committing, believing, and working for one another.
“I believe you can overchange, chase, and become desperate. That is a bad place to be coming from. I believe there is a genuine desire to succeed and win, but being desperate can lead to poor decisions and actions that are not appropriate. So there’s an appropriate proportion for us.”
He went on to say, “Every week, there are small tweaks and changes. There is always something where you look, and you may need to adjust certain things. We attempt to adapt and play in somewhat different ways. That’s nothing new. We are continuously looking for that kind of peak performance. So that remains unchanged. We simply focus on our strengths.
“I understand why you’re asking the question; we need the next result. However, aiming for the next best result does not always imply a significant change. I believe, as I have previously stated, that we excel in some areas. We need to focus on it and build on our strengths.
“And there’s a reason we’re a good team, and we’ve proven we can be a good team: we excel at particular tasks. We must focus on our strengths and continually improve them as much as anything else.”
When asked if there will be a greater emphasis on attack than defence at Bristol City on Friday evening, he responded: “Everything is ongoing. We’re continually looking for the appropriate balance. That is my role, my responsibility. There are certainly areas where we can improve, but we have players who are willing to be flexible and change things when necessary.”
It was a fascinating press conference, to say the least. Michael Carrick was belligerent, he possessed a fire that is not usually visible, and he came out fighting, as you may say. Perspective was his buzzword. It was hard not to be heartened by his statements. Regardless, what matters is what happens on the pitch. Results. When you’re not winning games and don’t give fans much faith that things will change, perspective will only go you so far. The words were encouraging, but they will be meaningless if the performance does not match on Friday evening.
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